"Wingin It: The West Wing Podcast" - Andrea Howat

Wow. We can't believe we made it through the entire series. It's been quite a wild ride. Here are our thoughts on the series finale! If you'd like to keep in touch with us for any announcements on new interviews or upcoming projects, sign up for my infrequent email list at AndreaHowat.com. We love you, Wingers. Thanks for listening. Love always, Andrea & Sallie.

It's the CJ Cregg show, and we're not mad about it. We've got brilliant (even non-verbal) scenes with both CJ & Danny and CJ & Toby; if this episode doesn't pull at your heart strings, we don't know what will. Also, it's our second-to-last episode, and we're feeling emotional about it. Join us to commiserate, as we recap, "Institutional Memory."

It's a perfectly fine episode; it tells the story of both our President-Elect and one bathrobe-clad candidate who lost and the unlikely way they may be joining forces. We didn't dislike it, but we're missing out on the stories of so many original cast members, with whom we have so little time left.

Does the President-Elect overstep his boundaries? Is he actually playing a covert game of good-cop / bad-cop with President Bartlet? We'll discuss it in between discussing two major points: the long-awaited Josh & Donna DTR (Define The Relationship) and *THE RETURN OF SAM SEABORN*. We have thoughts and feelings. Perhaps you do too. Join us as we recap, "Transition."

There are some really lovely aspects of this episode, aside from its most prominent and depressing storyline. Grab a tissue and join us for the sob-fest that is, "Requiem." We promise it'll be okay.

It's the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. It's the culmination of the Santos campaign and the culmination of a relationship that's seven years in the making. We see the joyful (and #awkwardoboe) moments of new love and the unexpected grief of having to say goodbye to another. Tune in as we discuss it all in our recap of "Election Day" (Parts I + II).

*We almost didn't post this one because Sallie's mic track is scratchy and we couldn't fix it. But for those adept at tuning that out, we figured we'd release the episode, since we already went ahead and recorded the next episode (ELECTION DAY!). Plus, this episode has Toby in it, so we couldn't very well skip it, now could we?

Does Matt Santos have a fatal flaw? A secret lovechild? Or just a tendency to forget his briefcase? This episode could alternatively be titled, "Everybody Hates Jane" or "More Toby, Please." We're down to single digits, with less than 10 episodes until our big SERIES finale! But before then, join us in the discussion of, "Two Weeks Out."

If you're not here to talk about Josh + Donna, this episode is not for you. But if you're like the 99% of us who ARE here for it, then dive on it. We have lots to talk about. Join us as we FINALLY discuss, "The Cold."

A nuclear plant in California has both The White House and both campaigns walking a delicate tightrope. President Bartlet takes the reins. Donna is given a tenuous assignment. Will Bailey continues to sass the press. Join Andrea along with guest Sarah Johnson (@sarahsj) as they discuss all things, "Duck and Cover."

Two words: DANNY CONCANNON. This episode was written by Bradley Whitford, and we happen to love it. Join us as we discuss all things, "Internal Displacement."

Inside the world of the show, things are brewing between Will + Kate, while Vice Presidential debate prep puts the Santos team on edge. In the real world, we process the news about John Spencer, in light of his brilliant performance in this Leo-centric episode.

They're trying to replace Josh! Kate asks Will Bailey on a date. Ellie Bartlet is getting married, which means President Bartlet is getting emotional - which means WE're getting emotional. Join us, will you?

Will plans a wedding, Kate cancels her golfing plans (mini), and Santos (yet again!) rises to the occasion, delivering a soaring sermon about racial reconciliation.

Spoiler alert: we both really like this episode, but we can understand why some of you do not. We'll discuss our favorite moments and the moments we consider to be the worst in The West Wing (ever). Join us as we discuss, "The Debate."

Debate negotiations? Semi interesting. Two pro-choice candidates? Very interesting. DONNA GETS HIRED BY THE SANTOS CAMPAIGN? Now we need to talk. Join us as we recap, "The Al Smith Dinner"

Don’t mind us as we pretend that this episode’s really about them keeping Toby in the Roosevelt Room because they’re planning a surprise party for him. Join us and special co-podcaster Lizzy from The Hamilton West Wing (@TheHamWing) as we discuss our mutual affinity for Lin-Manuel Miranda and the most heartbreaking (but beautifully told), terrible, no-good storylines from the show in “Here Today.” Our tears will not be gone tomorrow.

We're back in the saddle! Join Andrea & Sallie as they discuss the heartbreaking revelation in the NASA leak storyline, along with all other things Frosty in, "Mr. Frost."

The Vinnick Campaign tries to put the Santos campaign on the back foot by speaking out about immigration issues. My how times have changed. Friend of the show Dustin Alexander steps in for Sallie to share thoughts on the episode, which is tied with The Long Goodbye for the least number of original cast members in it. Hope you feel less awkward about it than a bathroom visit from Mr. Frost. Don't worry, the room's secure and so is he.

Matt Santos is the best Mommy we've ever had, and we've got no problem with it. And let's give two cheers for Janeane Garofalo in her first West Wing episode! From electoral math to moments of 50 Shades of Gray, we're here to talk about it all. 

It's the beginning of the end! We're not emotional about it... (okay, yes we are.)

Only one more season to go, and we're getting emotional! But we're also emotional because NASA has a leak and Matt Santos gives the perfect speech. Do you have feelings about this episode too? We thought so. Join us as we discuss, "2162 Votes."

**SPOILER ALERT** “It’s all downhill from here” or is it? In this episode we discuss the consistently inconsistent relationships on The West Wing (and Dule’s upcoming wedding in real life!). And we start mourning the Toby storyline we all hate. Tell us all your thoughts on, "Things Fall Apart."

Well, whaddya know, it's The Vinick Show. Surely we're still rooting for Matt Santos but we'll take any episode that gives us a hearty dose of Bartlet being the leader we know and love. Vinick fields questions on his personal religious beliefs and he ends up discussing them with President Bartlet, over multiple tubs of ice cream. It's truly delightful. Join us as we recap this gem of an episode, "In God We Trust."

"Ninety Miles Away... From The West Wing You Know and Love." Is this our LEAST favorite episode of The West Wing?! Would you rather watch this episode or "The Long Goodbye?" Why doesn't it work? Will we ever stop asking questions? Please, give us your two cents on this peculiar episode, "Ninety Miles Away."

Lo and behold! It's yet another Season 6 favorite! We go from being a scrappy (nearly broke) insurgency to the winner of the Democratic primary in California! Donna Moss wins our MVP for this one, and if you listen to our recap (or if you've seen the episode), you'll know why. Join us as we recap, "La Palabra."

We've got a cloak and dagger operation surrounding a crucial stem cell vote. Kate Harper is having trouble with Canadians, and Toby takes a meeting with some future leaders who give him a run for his money. Join Andrea & guest host Sarah Johnson (@sarahsj) as they discuss all the major plot points, as well as the origins of spaghetti squash, 'Home Improvement' & 'Titanic' guest stars, and Celine Dion.

TOBY'S CRYING. CJ'S CRYING. WE'RE CRYING. (sigh) Okay, everyone's back at The White House, at long last. Toby & Josh get in a physical brawl. Josh & Donna are in a closet. Charlie almost sets up Kate Harper with her ex-husband. Annabeth has an (odd/sweet?) moment with Will, and Will ends up taking five with Kate. There's so much to unpack. Join us as we recap the glory of, "Drought Conditions."

We're in New Hampshire! Team Santos is trying to change up the debate format (and get into the debate to begin with). There's an ad with chicken suits that we love, and more Amy Gardner problems. Do we come up with an idea for a West Wing theme park? Yes. Do we love this episode? Also yes. Join us as we discuss all things, "Freedonia."

Oh hey! Remember when The West Wing had a Valentine's Day episode? We didn't either. But here it is! Valentine's Day at The White House. CJ has to decide whether to wake up a sleeping Bartlet, Toby has a meeting with Miss World, Abby's mad (again), Christopher Lloyd guest stars, and we've got Lord John Marbury for MVP! And somehow it's a musical episode. Join us (and the music of Ke$ha, Katy Perry, Hanson, Stevie Wonder, En Vogue, & Madonna) as we recap, "The Wake Up Call."

Everyone's in Iowa, and Josh & Donna at the hotel with the Ryan Adams song playing is all we can focus on right now. Not really... but sort of. We'll discuss it all in our recap of one of our favorite re-watchable episodes, "King Corn."

Leo's back in The White House! Abbey's headed to NASCAR, and Will finally reveals a few misgivings about backing Bob Russell for President. The real question is, how do you measure a year? In daylights? In sunsets? In... well, we'll talk about it all in our recap of, "365 Days."

Everyone's in New Hampshire! Josh & Donna have their first post-schism run-in. Liz Bartlet is there! Joey Lucas is there too! And Josh & Santos finally have "the talk." We'll talk about it all (except the following) in our recap of, "Opposition Research." *Post Script: this is the first episode of TWW in which John Spencer does not appear.*

Who wants to recap an episode written by Bradley Whitford? (You can't see it but we're both raising our hands.) Matt Santos officially decides to run for President, Donna gets a new job, and the whole country's buzzing with questions about CJ's sexuality. There's all that and more as we dive in to our recap of, "Faith Based Initiative."

What about the unaired West Wing Halloween episode? Was Arnold Vinick ever supposed to win? Do you think Aaron Sorkin would ever write a reboot? What was John Spencer like? Listen in as Andrea is joined by Eli Attie (@EliAttie), producer & writer from The West Wing (and so much more.) **Be advised, this does contain spoilers!**

The China summit. Bartlet can't move. An asteroid heading toward earth. Donna's quitting. Is this really Armageddon? Possibly. But no, it's "Impact Winter." And we have feelings about it.

It's the Penn & Teller "did they just burn a flag in The White House?" episode! President Bartlet is experiencing dramatic effects of his M.S. while on his flight to China, and Donna is sassing her boss a bridge too far (in our opinion). Andrea is joined today by Sarah Johnson (@sarahsj) and special guest TELLER! (Or are we? Did we make him disappear?) Join us as we discuss, "In the Room."

We've got Sam Cooke, James Taylor, and much ado about a flag. The bloom is off the rose between Josh & Donna, and big things are happening with President Bartlet's M.S. Among this is one of our favorite Charlie storylines. We'll talk about it in our recap of, "A Change Is Gonna Come."

As 2016 comes to a close, Andrea & Sallie reflect on all of the West Wing events that unfolded this year, in this "best of" episode.

In this episode, Josh uses the majority of his mental faculties to argue with Matt Santos and the remaining neurons to antagonize Donna like he's a sixth grade boy. Toby & CJ are still trying to navigate her shift to Chief of Staff and the vacancy she left, and Leo's still looking as dapper as ever. We'll talk about it all in our recap of, "The Dover Test."

Josh drives an SUV into a Prius during a debate over fuel efficiency standards (whoops). Toby gets a lesson in likability from Annabeth (it's the best). CJ gets a lesson both in chess & her responsibilities as Chief of Staff, and Charlie asks out Zoey (again). If you know a better name for Charlie+Zoey than "Choey," please write to us. We'll discuss that, our idea for a new dating site for Chess fans, and more in our recap of "The Hubbert Peak."

It's CJ's first day as Chief of Staff - and Toby filling in as Press Secretary! What more could you need?! And in this episode we meet Annabeth Schott (Kristin Chenoweth) & Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits), so you can finally stop wondering who those people are on The West Wing cover on Netflix. Throw in a prank from our favorite Senior Staff boys and a delightful dose of Margaret, and you've got yourself a winning episode, folks. We'll talk about it all in our recap of, "Lift Off."

This is easily the best episode of Season 6 thus far. What other show can still "bring the funny" (Josh & CJ have a healthy-eating challenge a la "The Office") while a major character undergoes heart bypass surgery? And without Leo at the helm, our favorite White House staffers are playing a patchwork game of telephone, which lends itself to even more perfectly timed comedy. We freely admit we don't entirely understand what happened with Josh and the pizzas (or with CJ + Greg Brock never getting together) but we know we liked it all. Everything's about to change with a new Chief of Staff about to jump off the metaphorical cliff, and we want to know your thoughts on all of it. Join us!

Be advised: this episode contains a major spoiler since it relates to a real life West Wing event. It can be hard to watch at times, but being that this is our first episode post-election (in real life), we're turning to The West Wing to make it through.

Welcome to Season 6! #NSF(W) Thurmont aka entirely safe for work because the most exciting part is that we're going to Camp David! Okay... maybe a few shining moments in the Josh & Donna storyline. As far as season premieres go, it's not our favorite... but let's talk about it.

We did it, guys! We made it through our Season 5 rewatch. In this episode, we discuss our favorite West Wing season finales. Plus, you know, more Josh + Donna discussion (because it's important.) Join us!

Do we really need to summarize this one? In the words of Kevin McCallister, "I don't think so." Prepare yourself for all the feels (and yes, this is the appropriate time to use that expression.)

We are on lockdown, people! This is not a drill. If "Hell is other people," it's getting (emotionally) fiery in The West Wing. CJ truth bombs Donna. Charlie, Debbie, & President Bartlet get to wear cool track suits. Leo & Abbey go head-to-head. Josh Lyman & Kate Harper play a game of "Who knows more?" while Toby & Will spend some quality time reunited in Sam's office. Oh, and there's a potential plague on the loose. We'll talk about it all in our recap of, "No Exit."

We've got Abbott & Costello references in the same breath as Shakespeare references, we've got Kate Harper (!), a farewell to Intern Ryan, Donna struggling to find satisfaction in her work & Josh struggling to save jobs (and his integrity) after a huge trade deal, and CJ playing a game of musical chairs in the briefing room. This episode also has Richard Schiff in the director's chair! Want to talk about, "Talking Points?" Good. Us too.

With Andrea out on tour this week, Sallie and guest podcaster Abby go behind the scenes of this behind-the-scenes episode! Loved by some and hated by many, we breakdown the good and bad of this documentary-style, CJ-loving episode.